The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a batch of PILs seeking an FIR and criminal charges registered against Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhyanidhi Stalin for his 2023 remarks "vowing to eradicate Sanatan Dharma from society".

A bench of Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Prasanna B. Varale, before whom the three petitions were listed, questioned the maintainability of the petitions filed by the petitioners invoking Article 32 of the Constitution. Article 32 gives power to a citizen to move the Supreme Court directly for one’s fundamental rights.

The bench, however, questioned the rationale behind the petitioners invoking Article 32 jurisdiction of the Supreme Court prompting the petitioners to withdraw their petitions as being dismissed.

Three separate petitions were filed before the apex court by advocate Vineet Jindal, Chenna-based activist B. Jagannath and Sanatan Suraksha Parishad seeking FIR and criminal cases against Stalin who allegedly made the statement in September 2023 during a conference of the Tamil Nadu Murpoku Ezuthalar Sangam.

The petitioners had contended that Stalin's remarks had hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus who believed in the concept.

Stalin, who is also the son of chief minister M.K. Stalin, had said at the conference: "Few things cannot be opposed, they should be abolished. We can't oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. We have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatan Dharma, rather than opposing it."

The petitioners complained that till date the Tamil Nadu government had not registered any FIR against Stalin junior.